Limitations of the Gods

587 Words2 Pages

In many myth’s the gods seem to be able to everything, and nothing can stop them. As figures who are personifications of things humans cannot understand, they are powerful beings, but even they may have times of struggle. As some stories tell, the gods themselves had weaknesses, and things that they could not achieve. The gods do have human traits or tendencies that often lead to them being unable to do things. Sometimes it was the fact that they are gods that they could not do things. Even the gods can face their own share of hardships.

One of the main advantages some of the gods possess is the ability to reproduce by themselves. The eldest of the gods, Gaia, Abyss, Night, Eris, and even two male gods, Pontos, and Ouranos. Each of these god(s) and goddess(es) had no partner for some of their offspring’s production. In the Thegony Gaia had Ouranos, the mountains, and Sea (91), and Abyss gave birth to Erebos, and Night. Night then in turn had blame, grief, the hesperides, the tree beyond ocean, the destinies, fate, along with nemisis, deception, friendship, old age, and Eris. (93) Eris gave birth too many children all named for evil or bad deeds that man has come to do or associate with. Those children being named toil, famine, forgetfulness, recklessness, pains, battles, fights, murders, manslaughters, quarrels, words disputatious, lying words, and lawlessness. The last child of Eris is Oath, which could be a way to try and balance out to bad with some good. From the old male gods, Ouranos's severed genitalia gave form to Aphrodite and Pontos, the sea, gave form to Nereus. (93)

While the eldest gods could produce children on their own, only a one of the later gods possessed that ability. Hera had Hephaestus (104) all ...

... middle of paper ...

... in many chains made of many unbreakable bonds that he had placed all around his home. (205) Even Hermes admitted that the chains were unbreakable. (207)

Even if they had their strength fail them, it was also there in other times where they needed it.

Works Cited

Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner. "Homeric Hymn to Demeter." Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 156-67. Print.
Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner. "Homeric Hymn to Hermes." Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 209-23. Print.
Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner. "The Loves of Ares and Aphrodite." Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 205-08. Print.
Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner. "Theogony." Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 88-105. Print.

Open Document